Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) is an organization that was founded by Gloria Gilbert Stoga in July 1997. PBB's mission is to train prison inmates to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and explosive detection canines for law enforcement. The well-trained prison inmates can devout their full attention to these dogs. The raisers learn what it means to contribute to society rather than take from it as the dogs bring hope and pride to them as well as independence and security to those they serve.
Labrador Retriever puppies come into the program when they are only eight weeks old and live with their raisers for approximately twenty-four months. They are extensively trained and are taught more than eighty-five commands upon graduating. In addition to fetching things, getting the keys, or getting something off a shelf for a veteran who may have lost an arm, these dogs can perform very complex commands that reassures veterans that everything is okay.
One of these complex commands is clear. The command clear involves the dog going into a room, switching on the light, doing a full turn around to scan the whole room, and then going back to the door to reassure the veteran that the room is safe and that there is no one waiting in ambush in the room. A second complex command that these dogs are taught is how to call 911. If the veteran becomes unresponsive or if the veteran asks specifically for help, the dog knows how to call 911 on a special telephone. Another complex command that these dogs learn is to awaken veterans from nightmares.
PBB has paired about seventy-six veterans across the country with their service dogs. They have also paired more than five hundred explosive detection canines.
PBBs priority is to keep the dogs happy and healthy and to maintain a high "graduation rate." Seventy-five percent of PBBs dogs go on to lead successful and productive working lives. For the dogs that do not graduate, they are released for adoption.
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